EIA, "System Failure" - Green Customs Initiative

RECOMMENDATIONS
EIA investigations have revealed
the widespread and significant
scale of illegal e-waste exports
from the UK. All of the trackers
placed at council recycling sites
ended up in developing countries
or destined for illegal export.
Investigations into business to
business e-waste exports
revealed that the flow of CRTs is
diminishing; however, new types
of e-waste exports are just
around the corner, with traders
now increasingly offering thin
film transistor (TFT) and liquid
crystal display (LCD) monitors
for export. Those involved in
illegal e-waste smuggling are
adaptable to changing circumstances
and it is likely they will
move quickly to exploit new
areas of opportunity. It is therefore
essential to tackle the issue
as a whole rather than just focus
on how to stop waste CRT or
waste TV exports.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
l The UK Government should
ensure continued funding for
the Environment Agency to
develop its intelligence-led
enforcement approach
l The UK Government should
conduct a full review of the
REFERENCES
1. http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/topics
/WEEE/default.aspx
2. UNEP (2005) “E-waste, the hidden side of IT
equipment's manufacturing and use”,
Environmental Alert Bulletin
3. The Times, "Britain's dirty little secret as a
dumper of toxic waste”, July 18, 2009
4. Reuters, “China's e-waste capital chokes on old
computers”, June 11, 2007
5. The Guardian, “Breeding toxins from dead PCs”,
May 6, 2008
6. Consumers International and DanWatch report
“e-waste: West Africa continues to drown in the
rich world's obsolete electronics”, April 2008
7. Ref: Greenpeace, "Chemical contamination at
e-waste recycling and disposal sites in Accra and
Korforidua, Ghana", 2008
8. Reuters, “China's e-waste capital chokes on
old computers” June 11, 2007
9. The Guardian, "Breeding toxins from dead PCs",
May 6, 2008
10. Basel Action Network, "The Digital Dump", 2005
11. European Commission COM (2008) 810/4.
Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council on waste electrical
and electronic equipment (WEEE) Recast
12. US EPA, “Analysis of five community/consumer
residential collections of end-of-life electronic
and electrical equipment”, November 24, 1998
13. Basel Action Network, “Exporting harm: the high
tech trashing of Asia”, 2002
14. http://impel.eu/projects/enforcement-actions-ii
15. WCO RILO-AP, Evaluation Report on Project
Sky-Hole Patching, October 2007
16. WCO press release, July 8, 2009
Producer Compliance Scheme
system, with the goal of
significantly reducing the
number of such schemes
and setting a realistic price
for recycling
l The UK Government should
commission a review of
existing contracts between
local authorities and Producer
Compliance Schemes to ensure
the schemes actually have the
infrastructure to carry out
recycling. The review should
include scrutiny of sub-contracts
between compliance schemes
and service operators
l The right to award Producer
Compliance Schemes contracts
should be taken out of the
hands of local authorities and
centralised in the relevant
Government ministry
l All unwanted electronic and
electrical equipment left at
Designated Collection Facilities,
such as civic amenity sites,
must be quantified before
leaving the site, and audited
records kept
l Producer Compliance Schemes
holding the contract for sites
from where e-waste has been
17. http://www.interpol.int/Public/Environmental
Crime/Meetings/Ewaste2010/Background.asp
18. pers comm, confidential, July 2010
19. The Guardian, “Dirty deals”, July 9, 2009
20. The Guardian, “Dirty deals”, July 9, 2009
21. The Times, "Britain's dirty little secret as a
dumper of toxic waste”, July 18, 2009
22. Speech by Lord Smith, Head of Environment
Agency, 7th International Interpol Conference on
Environmental Crime, September 15, 2010
23. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/
124867.aspx)
24. Environment Agency press release, “Plymouth
Council fined after waste electrical goods
from the City ends up in the wrong hands”,
June 11, 2010
25. letsrecycle.com, “EA secures prosecution
over hazardous WEEE exports”, July 20, 2010
26. The Independent, "How a tagged television
set uncovered a deadly trade", February 18, 2009
27. Speech by Lord Smith, Head of Environment
Agency, 7th International Interpol Conference on
Environmental Crime, September 15, 2010
28. http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business-sectors/
environmental-and-technical-regulations/
environmental-regulations/waste-electricaland-electronic-equipment
29. The Correspondents' guidelines represent the
common understanding of all Member States on
how Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 on shipments
of waste (Waste Shipment Regulation – WSR)
should be interpreted. The guidelines were
agreed by the correspondents at a meeting on
14/15 June 2007 organised pursuant to Article 57
of Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006
illegally exported should lose
their contract once a successful
prosecution of the exporter
has taken place
l A company being investigated
by the authorities for
suspected illegal trade in
e-waste should be barred from
further export activities until
the case is resolved
l The Environment Agency
should tighten its procedures
for the licensing of authorised
treatment facilities and
contractors, including
increased unannounced
spot-check visits
l Establishment of recycling
facilities and Producer
Responsibility in developing
countries in order to meet
growing domestic e-waste
production
l Consumers or businesses
seeking to dispose of
unwanted electronic
equipment should seek
reassurances from local
councils or recyclers that
they have procedures in
place to ensure it will not
be illegally exported to
developing countries
30. Client list from EWC website, http://ewc.eu.com
/clients.html, viewed February 2, 2011
31. PCD website, http://www.computerrecycling.co.uk
/who_we_are.php, viewed 11/2/11
32. PCD website, http://www.computerrecycling.co.uk
/WEEE_environment.php, viewed February 11, 2011
33. “Beware of cowboy traders”, October 12, 2008,
news article on PCD website - http://www.computer
recycling.co.uk/news.php?action=fullnews&id=34,
viewed February 11, 2011
34. PCD website, http://www.computerrecycling.co.uk
/news.php?action=fullnews&id=35, viewed
February 11, 2011
35. http://www.tbcrecycling.com/About_IT_Recycling.
html, viewed February 12, 2011
36. http://www.tbcrecycling.com/WEEE_Directive.html,
viewed February 12, 2011)
37. letsrecycle.com, “Plymouth fined for hazardous
waste ’negligence’”, June 11, 2010
38. Huisman J. 2010. From 4kg to 65 per cent. Can
WEEE do that? Conference presentation:
Enhancing the WEEE Recast. Renaissance Hotel,
Brussels, 1050, 29 April 2010. [pdf Available at
http://bit.ly/Huisman2010 (Accessed 18 Jul 2010)
39. European Commission COM(2008) 810/4. Proposal
for a Directive of the European Parliament and of
the Council on waste electrical and electronic
equipment (WEEE) (Recast)
40. letsrecycle.com, “European Parliament votes for
85% WEEE goal”, February 3, 2011
41. letsrecycle.com, “REPIC predicts consolidation in
UK WEEE sector”, August 31, 2010
© Margaret Bates
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